Avignon.

Avignon sits on the Rhône in Provence, its skyline held by the Palais des Papes, the fortress-palace built when the city held the seat of the papacy in the 14th century. The Gothic halls and frescoed chambers form part of a UNESCO-listed historic centre that also takes in the broken span of the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the medieval bridge made famous by the old French song. Thick ramparts still ring the old town, where narrow lanes open onto squares like the Place de l'Horloge, lined with cafés and plane trees. Les Halles market fills each morning with Provençal cheese, olives, and produce from the surrounding countryside. Beyond the walls, the Rhône valley carries some of France's best-known wine appellations, including Châteauneuf-du-Pape, close enough for an easy outing. Each July, the Avignon Festival turns courtyards and cloisters into stages for theatre and performance, drawing companies from across Europe. Through the rest of the year, the pace softens, shaped by market mornings, riverside walks, and the clear Provençal light that has long drawn painters to this stretch of the Rhône.